| I PMd the OP on this topic, but I think JHS has hit on a key point: if you live in a community where the families know each other, the moms chat at the store, and so on, there is a different sense of accountability. My kids know the mom switchboard will light up like a Christmas tree if they are seen doing anything resembling impropriety.
I could be way wrong about this (and I'm sure you'll tell me if I am), but I think the girl's family having a relationship with the boy and his family creates an atmosphere of mutual respect. I'm not saying it means "nothing will happen" but that things might move at a slower pace. The OP has not said if the families are friends, but JHS brings this up as a mitigating factor for age-difference relationships in general.
And once girls are 18 and heading off to college, I don't think mom's opinion about a 21-22 year old boyfriend is going to be solicited. |